In the early morning hours of Thursday, 29 June 2006, IOF conducted a number of incursions throughout the West Bank, excluding Jericho. IOF surrounded the places of residence of a number of Palestinian Cabinet Ministers and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) from the Change and Reform Party.

This follows an earlier attack at approximately 01:45 on Tuesday, 27 June 2006, when IOF conducted a number of air raids using fighter jets and helicopter gunships on civilian installations in the Gaza Strip. The raids completely destroyed two bridges on the Gaza Valley, one on Salah El-Deen Road and the other on the coastal road. These two bridges connect the northern part of the Strip with the center and south. A secondary bridge was also destroyed. Transportation to and from the north of the Strip has been completely cut off as a result, threatening people’s lives and security by depriving them access to health and educational institutions.

The aerial bombardment also destroyed the main water pipe feeding Nuseirat and El-Bureij refugee camps. Furthermore, panic was caused among civilians, especially children and medical patients by bombardment, mock air raids and sonic booms over the Strip.

Coffee is the beverage of choice in Aceh, and here we have the best arabica coffee in the world! This coffee-house is a branch of Sulong, which was affected by the Tsunami. Business bustles a year after the tragedy.

(update 08 July: These kids probably would fare better in the World Cup than Brazil. Ronaldo, please get on a diet. Puh…)

In honour of 2006 FIFA World Cup. Viva Brasilia!
Boys playing football (soccer) near the beach where their homes once stood. Now they live in newly constructed homes with aid from donor countries, but these structures pale in comparison to their original houses.

Contrary to popular myths, perpetuated by the West and even Muslim academics and intellectuals who want to ride on the Muslim-bashing bandwagon, ‘madrasahs’ are not sites of Islamic terrorism. Madrasahs are educational institutions built by Islamic scholars and are a feature in Muslim regions. In most parts, madrasahs are opportunities for many children to get a decent education. Here, young female students scan for their names, to see if they managed to get into this school.

View from the rear end of the Baitulrahman Mosque at dusk. Approximately 1730 hours. Baitulrahman mosque was partially damaged during the Tsunami but it took only a year to repair it with help and funds from the Saudi government